Near Keystone in Pennington County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Thomas Jefferson
3rd President
— 1801-1809 —
Thomas Jefferson
“I have learnt to expect that it will rarely fall to the lot of imperfect man to retire from this station with the reputation & the favor which bring him into it.” - First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
Born April 13, 1743, Shadwell, Virginia
Married Martha Wayles Skelton (1748-1782), January 1, 1772
Children Martha (1772-1836), Jane (1774-1775), infant son (1777), Mary (1778-1804), Lucy (1780-1781), Lucy (1782-1784)
Died July 4, 1826, at Monticello, Virginia, on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the same day President John Adams died
Education College of William and Mary, 1762
Occupation Lawyer, scientific farmer
Political party Democratic-Republican
Career Highlights • Minister to France • George Washington's Secretary of State John Adams' Vice President
National Highlights • The Louisiana Territory purchased from France for $15 million • The Lewis and Clark expedition explored the Northwest • Importing African slaves to the United States became illegal
“Never did a prisoner, released from his chains, feel such relief as I shall on shaking off the shackles of power. Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science, by rendering them my supreme delight. But the enormities of the times in which I have lived, have forced me to take a part in resisting them, and to commit myself on the boisterous ocean of political passions.'
- Letter to P. S. Dupont de Nemours, March 2, 1809, two days before leaving office
Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of Mount Rushmore
In the portraits and data we bave of him we see the young man, the torcb-bearer, the artist, the architect, the musician and builder, the creator in all his varied moods. I am sorry I have only one portrait to make of him.”
- New York Times Magazine, August 25, 1940
Captions:
Portrait by Charles Wilson Peale
Independence National Historical Park
Portrait by Benjamin Henry Latrobe
Library of Congress
Artifacts from the Lewis and Clark expedition at Monticello
R. Lautman/Monticello This exhibition was made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities with additional support from the South Dakota Humanities Council
Erected by National Endowment for the Humanities and the South Dakota Humanities Council.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical date for this entry is January 1, 1772.
Location. 43° 52.727′ N, 103° 27.429′ W. Marker is near Keystone, South Dakota, in Pennington County. Marker is on Presidential Trail west of Highway 244, on the right when traveling west. The marker is along the pedestrian Presidential Trail which forms a loop around the Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Keystone SD 57751, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. George Washington (a few steps from this marker); Theodore Roosevelt (within shouting distance of this marker); Abraham Lincoln (within shouting distance of this marker); (Mount Rushmore) Chronology (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); History of the United States of America (about 600 feet away); The Power to Carve a Mountain (about 700 feet away); Rushmore Workers (approx. 0.2 miles away); Gutzon Borglum (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Keystone.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 9, 2021, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. This page has been viewed 164 times since then and 8 times this year. Last updated on September 9, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 9, 2021, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana.